


A SOUL Unaccounted For

by LastoftheCentaurs



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Chara Redemption, Character Death, Character Death Fix, Family, Genocide, Grief/Mourning, ILL BE YOUR CONDUCTOR, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Other, Regret, Soul-Searching, Suicide, Violence, WELCOME TO THE HEADCANON TRAIN, choo choo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-17
Updated: 2016-03-17
Packaged: 2018-05-27 04:48:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6270193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LastoftheCentaurs/pseuds/LastoftheCentaurs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Your genocide as well as a certain skeleton's gambit allows a long lost soul the opportunity to fix their mistakes.</p><p>DETERMINATION is as much of a virtue as it is a curse. A moth is determined to fly into the flame, like a certain child was determined to see their family freed.</p><p>The only difference between these two is that the moth could not RESET after the fire had killed them. Neither could the child, after the flame had spread to burn their entire house down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A SOUL Unaccounted For

From where exactly does the light that fills this judgement hall come from? It was one of the few questions that the skeleton did not know the answer to. His mind often entertained equally as petty thoughts. Today especially, because all of his friends were dead.

Though he knew deep down that it was completely untrue, he still justified his inaction to that old woman’s promise. Now, his mind was wandering back again...

To be completely honest with himself, he didn’t really know what had walked out of the RUINs just a couple hours prior. If it was trying to look like a human, it was doing a terrible job. It walked—no—shambled on as if it hadn’t any idea how to use its legs. Clumsy would be too graceful of a description as to how it moved forward. It had a childish appearance, though its face had the nastiest tendency to contort into a disturbing smile from ear to ear. Was it pain? Malice? Not even in his own mind did the skeleton grace it with a description.

…then, there were the eyes. Locked forward and as wide as its dusty face would allow room for. It broke its determined gaze forward only when someone was suicidal enough to stand in its way.

Someone like Sans.

If he continued to do nothing, then the creature would destroy an entire timeline. It sounded like a merciful end if it would make him forget, even if he knew that was a complete fantasy. Just like his bloodline, he had delved too deeply in the pursuit of forbidden knowledge. They should never have laid eyes upon those human SOULs, much less try to design a machine to torture them.

… But what if he chose to…..? The demon would only have to get past him just once…

He could hear its fell laughter echo into the hall now, announcing its arrival. He was no longer able to stop himself from thumbing the insides of his sweater pockets in grim anticipation. All he had left in the Underground was the lint inside of them, anyway….

In truth, the creature terrified him. Even the dauntless would find their spirits shatter in the presence of something like the demon which was now shambling towards him. An aura of dread permeated every room the creature stepped into. The smart ones among them had already been hidden in the True Lab long before they could feel something like that. That bought them a couple more minutes. It did not help knowing that what little remained of all his friends were twinkling on the creature’s knife in the dim light of the hall. Perhaps his refusal to take action so far was simply out of cowardice….?

The answer to his first question turned out to be just as meaningless as he imagined it. Light seemed to melt away in this creature’s presence. He could sense that, under an ocean of DETERMINATION, its somehow human SOUL was left blackened by its countless sins. Perhaps they were wrong when monsters hypothesized that humans could not gain power from monster SOULs. Maybe not, seeing how this thing was neither human nor monster.

Now, the light had finally flashed across its face for a brief moment… …and it was as terrifying as he had imagined it would be. The creature no longer bothered trying to maintain any illusion of humanity—or even mortality. Its sclera had all but evaporated into a substance as black as pitch which seemed to spill down its pale cheeks much like tears normally would. From deep inside its head glowed red pinpricks that apparently now served as its pupils. Sans had always prided himself on being able to read faces, but whoever laid behind that disgusting smile was a complete enigma to him. If there was ever even someone there.

But that wasn’t the sickest part. Sans almost refused to believe that the body which this creature now owns had once been, in another time and place, a friend. As much as he wanted to believe that the photographs in his workshop lied....

Someone who had just wanted to share some good food, some bad laughs…

…broke the barrier…

…and brought them back here for…

….for THIS…?

Their name…? It was on the tip of his tongue. He wanted to try to remember it, but something kept repressing it. Betrayal? Apathy?

Actually… quite frankly, their name didn’t deserve to be remembered.

But still, the creature drew ever closer…

He knew that whatever he had planning was utterly hopeless, but…

Maybe…there was someone in there after all?

 _'doubt it'_  he thought.

The demon stopped its march and stood at attention, head cocked and its lifeless eyes fixed on the skeleton. Like it was expecting him to be there.

As it turns out, Sans didn’t really feel much of anything anymore.

 _“heya.”_ he said as casually as if he were talking to Papyrus

_“you’ve been busy, huh?”_

If there was one thing Sans was ever good at, minus experimental physics and bad jokes, he was a master at hiding his motives behind a smile. Smile for even a fraction of the time that Sans had spent and you would find that your face would unable to do anything else. Even now, he met the demon’s expression with a smile and gaze just as lifeless and empty as its own.

 _“so, I’ve got a question for ya….”_ “

_"..do you think even the worst person can change…?”_

He couldn’t get her promise out of his head. Like he was trying to shunt the blame off of himself. This is what happens when people like him refuse to act. _He let this happen._

_“…that everybody can be a good person, if they just try….?”_

The demon took another step forward in reply. The skeleton gave off a hearty laugh. Not a hint of nervousness or trepidation or even anger. Like someone had just shared their thoughts on how Junior Jumble was harder than Crosswords.

_“all right. well, here’s a better question.”_

**_“do you wanna have a bad time?”_**   He couldn’t mask the venom in his voice for a moment.

But what could he have done back in Snowdin? The flower was no better of an overseer. Sure, he could never pull off anything like this. He was preferable, though. He would spend entire years in his old home without resetting even once, just trying to find an iota of fulfillment. Trying to find a reason to keep going on like that without relapsing and killing again. Heck, most times he was nowhere to be found. But more often than not, he’d go after the six SOULs with such ferocity that even Sans felt like he should step in. But Sans was not the deciding factor here. Or so he thought.

_“’cause if you take another step forward…”_

_“you are REALLY not gonna like what happens next…”_

 

It took another step. There was no more doubt in his mind that the demon was goading him into this.

 

Sans slowly turned his gaze towards the heavens.

Somehow, he had an image of that old lady in his head despite never once seeing her face. He closed his eyes and chuckled, again, as if someone had told him a bad pun about skeletons.

_“it’s a beautiful day outside…”_

_“….birds are singing…..flowers are blooming.”_

_“…on days like these, ‘kids’ like you…..”_

Too late did the demon realize what was happening and charged forward with inhuman grace, knife in hand.

But the skeleton came prepared, suffice to say. He had activated enough blasters to bring the mountain down on itself. For this reason alone were they made. The demon twisted, contorted, warped its lithe frame out of their area of fire but to no avail. It was taken totally by surprise, for once…

Sans understood that determination alone could not stop something like the scorched body which lay sprawled on the hall’s floor. He’d witnessed firsthand that no matter how much you’d bring, this creature would multiply it a hundredfold and more. Their greatest hero reduced to a puddle trying to outmatch it, whilst the creature was freed to continue its relentless onslaught.

He relied on trickery. Confuse it, confound it, make it slowly realize that it’s no longer in control of the situation anymore. Give it something _new_.

The skeleton ever so slowly walked to the still smoking body. It made for a grotesque scene, burn marks covering most of their torso and legs. They were impaled clean through the sternum. **But not a hint of blood**. Their flesh seemed to be necrotic, blacker than the night sky despite being dead for only a few moments. He hesitated for a moment, before turning them over with a prod of his slippered foot. The body was as light as a feather.

Their face… It was human again. Color had returned to their eyes, which laid wide open in shock….staring at the ceiling. The rest of their face was expressionless. Sans swore to himself that he’d seen this person before.

 _What was their name?_ He couldn’t get that question out of his skull.

As if on cue, red blood began to stream out of their myriad wounds. Maybe this wasn’t their fault, after a----

 

He was listlessly staring out of the window again.

He quickly turned around.

There wasn’t a sign of a battle anywhere. No more body, no more smoke, no more…

A chill ran down his spine.

This was his hell.

He would _never_ get used to this feeling. Was there ever even a battle here? Was his brother still waiting for him to recalibrate his puzzles? Was…

Footsteps filled the hall again. There was no more laughter, curiously.

The shadowed figure came ever closer to him.

As the light began to shine on their face once more…. There was no more ichor.

Human eyes glared at him, though their iris reflected glowing red light. That smile was instead twisted into a spiteful scowl. Nothing there but murderous intent. And a hint of…

_”…you look frustrated about something…”_

So that was it, then. The answer was in front of him the entire time. _Frustration._ Determination’s only foil was frustration. Kill them until they give up on this world. Anything was better than what was coming next, right? He would **beg** the flower to reset as far back and as often as he possibly could.

 _“…guess I’m pretty good at my job, huh…?”_ His voice carried hints of mocking laughter.

The demon began another charge. Their demonic façade had entirely melted away. Their superhuman agility and propensity for wanton slaughter did not.

The skeleton sprung his trap once more. Blaster after blaster, slamming them into pillar after pillar, mere inches from skewering it each and every time…

The demon was still standing at the end of it. Not unscathed, but not done just yet either…

 _“anyway, as I was saying, it’s a nice day out. why not relax and take a load off…?”_   Sans was just getting started.

He found that friendliness pellets were far, far easier to dodge than this thing’s slashes. While the two of them had arguably the same amount of malice, it was pretty evident which one of them could accrue more power. But in either case, standing still and taking it wasn’t much of an option. He wasn’t a fighter. Even the slightest scrape and…

A mistimed jump led the demon to their second untimely end, lanced on an arrangement of bones. Yes, he was counting now. He figured that he might as well try anything to get under its skin.

He took this time to wonder how he was giving it more pause than any other creature in the underground so far. He was absolutely certain that he was getting help. The slightest touch of any of his spells caused the demon to reel back in agony, as if someone were augmenting his abilities. The blasters were definite proof of this, they didn't  _have_ to listen to anyone but their creator. But still, they heeded Sans's call.

He walked over to the body again. Everything was still here, so why not---

There we go.

Another chill, another stare out the same damn window.

Even if the demon let him take the soul, what would he do with it anyway...?

It came up to him again, now. _Oh, that face…_

 _“that’s the expression of someone who’s died twice in a row…”_ …this was becoming too satisfying. Like pulling weeds.

Of course, the futility of this fight was not lost on him. But being able to do something like that to your brother’s killer…? All of his fears had melted away at this point. Even if the demon truly does have an infinite number of attempts, Sans would still love to see what their face has to say on their millionth shot. Just doing it once was enough for him.

As they began the same dance, the skeleton started to realize much to his chagrin that the demon was getting better at dodging him. Shockingly quick, too. This was probably his fault, as he only came with a limited repertoire of ideas to work with. Although, him dodging _it_ was far more of a strenuous task. It slashed away with lightning speed, and the both of them knew all too well what would happen if he’d make the slightest misstep…

He needed to change up the rules again. He didn’t have the energy or the determination to keep dodging forever, and the demon fully understood that. He brought the fight to a halt for a moment, maintaining a generous amount of distance between his assailant.

The demon just stood there, taunting him with the knife. Sans nonchalantly scratched the back of his skull.

He had an idea.

_“…you, uh, really like swinging that thing around, huh? ….listen.”_

What was he thinking…? Olive oil dripped down from his brow. He wished he was back in Snowdin…

_“I know you didn’t answer me before, but …. somewhere in there. I can feel it. there’s a glimmer of a good person inside of you…..”_

Unbeknownst to Sans,  _someone_ else was listening.

Sans saw the red in the child’s eyes begin to evaporate…

 _'…is this actually going to work…?'_   he thought.

It definitely made them stop for a moment, so…

_“…the memory of someone who wanted to do the right thing…”_

He had their full attention now. Was--was that a tear he could see…? If not, then it probably was the thick layer of dust on their face twinkling in the dimming light of the hall.

_“…someone who, in another time, might have been…a friend…?”_

_“c’mon buddy, do you remember me…?”_

Someone was screaming back in reply, though they had no voice with which to do so. They didn't even have a body. Nobody even remembered they still existed, really. Not even Sans. He thought that they died in the RUINs a long time ago, or at least in New Home. He was too busy at the time to really care. They sure did put a lot of effort into making this happen, anyway.

_“please, if you’re listening…let’s forget about all this, ok?"_

Sans had trouble processing the menagerie of emotions on the child’s face. It was entirely human now. He couldn’t stop laughing silently to himself. This was the absolute last thing he was expecting to work.

The third person in the room, with what little power they had, managed to hold the demon off at bay for a few precious moments.

Could this mean that…they could fix this somehow…?

The third person began to siphon DETERMINATION out from the demon’s grasp.

 _“just lay down your weapon, and….well, my job will be a lot easier..”_ Sans closed his eyes and prepared to receive another swing.

Instead, he heard a loud clang resonate throughout the hall. His face lit up in shock.

**They dropped the knife.**

As well as to their knees, apparently.

 _‘wow, this is priceless….’_ he thought to himself.

The child began to let loose a guttural mix of howling and sobbing. It raised its dusty hands and cupped its ears, writhing and wallowing on the floor like an earthworm caught in the sun. Babbling some incoherent nonsense the entire time. He pitied it for a moment, he had a soul after all. But…

He thought back to when his brother offered them mercy…

…and this time, he wasn’t going to re-enact Papyrus’s last mistake.

This third visitor had actually managed to take control for long enough to---

_**“…c’mere, pal.”** _

And with that, the skeleton reduced the human to little more than a bloody sponge.

The skeleton was aware that something like that couldn’t possibly happen to an unwilling host. They made their choice long ago, and now they were paying the price. If they ever were friends in another time, they wouldn’t have gone through this madness in the first place. They wouldn’t come back. What exactly did they think was going to happen anyway? But… even so, they still surrendered. There must’ve been something in there that’s willing to bring them all back and make it right again. There has to be. That’s why they’re not coming back… right?

**....right?**


End file.
